Restructuring the DCI BOD

[Jeff Ream]

Fixing drum corps involves better engagement with marching band and winter programs. These are the real feeder programs.

Improving marching band and winter programs on a national level involves giving more kids an intensive experience on the highest level in drum corps, where they can go back and share their knowledge with marching band programs.

You cannot think of them as distinct. It is one big interdependent organism.

Here's what you miss:

DCI HAS been reaching out to band programs for over a decade now. The problem is that schools will do what they want to do, no matter how much DCi tries to give them, and many schools see through it for what it is....DCI's attempt to market stuff and promote sponsors.

Every district out there has there own individual standards for what marching band should be. You'll never get a national standard, even NEMC realizes that. In most schools, marching bands are ther first things cut, not football. You show nothing that proves how you can achieve your goal of improving High school marching bands.

Hell, more bands do not compete as opposed to those that do....and manyschools will not allow it.

[Jeff Ream]

Group ticket sales are becoming, and absolutely should become, a larger part of the audience. This is where the sponsorship money is.

I'm convinced DCI could make more money by selling cheap group tickets and filling up the stands with as many band kids as possible. This is exactly what major sponsors will pay for.

Each show should have busload after busload of kids. This is the future.

one problem:

the tour keeps getting a little smaller every year. So thatmakes for longer drives for groups to go, and since DCI runs the big shows, cutting prices doesnt help the bottom line.

The future of any good business is retaining what you have and adding to it. Luckily for us, DCI has started to realize that, even if the mantra of one person has been nothing but band kids for 20 years

[Jeff Ream]

yeah... there is no life changing event that happens to kids between the ages of 18-21 that creates a bit of a gap between them and younger kids.

12 to 19 is a stretch and I cant see many parents onboard with that either. See 19 year olds can get access to the bad stuff just as easily as a 21 year old can. Don't believe me? Watch the news.

[Jeff Ream]

So make it a hypothetical, then. Here, I'll help. Say the Old Bridge show drew $40,000 in ticket sales. How much of it was "drawn" in by which entities?

Madison Scouts

Boston Crusaders

Spirit of Atlanta

Crossmen

Jersey Surf

Raiders

Bridgemen

YEA!

DCI

Madison, Crossmen and Surf. 2 of whichyour plan eliminates

[Jeff Ream]

Thanks for proving my point in so many ways.

1. First and foremost, all this talk of the "draw" of individual corps on a show lineup is just smoke and mirrors. It ignores the role of TEPs, group ticket sellers, and DCI itself in the marketing and sales efforts. Even you admit it now, as you include group ticket sales, marketing costs, and a host of venue and supporting services as part of the calculation.

2. It is interesting to note how many of the items you cite are unaffected by which individual corps are in the show lineup. The stadium doesn't change their rental fee based on whether Blue Devils or Blue Knights are in the show. Security doesn't change their fee based on whether Blue Devils or Blue Knights are in the show. EMTs do not charge different amounts based on which uniform the treated corps member is wearing, etc.

3. Care to modify your previous statement about this being "very easily quantified"?

[Stu]

How would this be any different than any other performing arts organization? You think that the NY Philharmonic should have their tax status revoked because they aren't pulling kids off the street and teaching them how to play?

While their are musical similarities, the differences are glaring: a) The NY Phil, Chicago Symph, etc... pay professional adult performers; and b) Their official 501c3 IRS designations are completely different than the official designation DCI. So, it is a fallacy to compare professional symphonies with youth oriented drum corps. If, however, DCI officially changed its 501c3 designation, paid professional adults to perform like the NY Phil (or like the PGA), then I would be in line with many of your positions.

Again, the role of drum corps is not to teach kids core skills anymore... they can learn how to play in school.

So, to you the youth who have very poor musical instruction, or no musical instruction at all, within a scholastic environment are not to be served by any corps within DCI. But... that service is exactly how DCI, and the DCI corps directors, present their case to the IRS as a 501c3.

Is there a place for corps that take kids off the streets and teach them how to play or give kids with a wide range of talent the opportunity to perform? I think there should be..

You know you just completely contradicted yourself because in you last sentence you stated, and I quote, "Again, the role of drum corps is not to teach kids core skills anymore"

... but don't believe DCI is the best place for that.

Then DCI needs to change their *official* 501c3 designation from a youth charitable organization and officially register with the IRS with designations like the NY Phil and the PGA.

It [providing for the needs of the lesser skilled youth] creates too much of a split focus and dilutes the brand.

I am not denying that there is a very high quality of musical performance from the top corps in DCI; and that is great. The WC OC split is very desirable to me. However, those who *only* desire that high WC performance level, *only* want to provide for the best of the best youth, and feel that DCI providing for corps like Genesis, Legends, and the Racine Scouts actually, and I quote, "splits the focus and dilutes the brand", are completely egocentric and selfish. Why? Because if you read the DCI mission, if you read the DCI 501c3 designation, it is officially about providing a place for youth to become involved with performing arts; providing a place for *all* skill levels, not just the best of the best.

Edited December 6, 2011 by Stu

[perc2100]

Again, the role of drum corps is not to teach kids core skills anymore... they can learn how to play in school.

Drum corps has a different role now.... that of touring performing arts organizations.

Is there a place for corps that take kids off the streets and teach them how to play or give kids with a wide range of talent the opportunity to perform? I think there should be.. but don't believe DCI is the best place for that. It creates too much of a split focus and dilutes the brand.

See, that's where you're wrong: drum corps services a DUEL role of both a touring performing arts organization AND and educational organization. It's a difficult line to straddle, for sure, but it's the reality until/unless an organization radically changes their philosophy to become strictly a professional performing organization (such as when Star went to Blast: even when they did the Canadian Brass/Brass Theater thing they billed themselves as a duel performing group + educational opportunity for members).

You're thinking with a narrow scope that DCI and its member corps should shift away from the educational side of the activity, but DCI and its member corps are not doing that.

And that's why the "minimal performance standard" that you haven't defined (that I've seen: I might've missed it) is nonsensical when drum corps' philosophies are geared towards educational: corps use performance as educational tools as far as performance education, and use touring experiences as educational tools as far as broad life experience education goes. Corps bill themselves on that, sell themselves to prospective members with that philosophy, and are generally very proud of that aspect of their activity. For someone who has zero experience running/maintaining a drum corps currently to want to radically shift the philosophy and try to push a separate agenda isn't going to work.

[danielray]

Thanks for proving my point in so many ways.

1. First and foremost, all this talk of the "draw" of individual corps on a show lineup is just smoke and mirrors. It ignores the role of TEPs, group ticket sellers, and DCI itself in the marketing and sales efforts. Even you admit it now, as you include group ticket sales, marketing costs, and a host of venue and supporting services as part of the calculation.

2. It is interesting to note how many of the items you cite are unaffected by which individual corps are in the show lineup. The stadium doesn't change their rental fee based on whether Blue Devils or Blue Knights are in the show. Security doesn't change their fee based on whether Blue Devils or Blue Knights are in the show. EMTs do not charge different amounts based on which uniform the treated corps member is wearing, etc.

3. Care to modify your previous statement about this being "very easily quantified"?

Congratulations on understanding the concept of Net revenues.

No revisions on any statement. All costs were included in the model. If they were not, what would be the point of doing it in the first place???

[audiodb]

Improving marching band and winter programs on a national level involves giving more kids an intensive experience on the highest level in drum corps, where they can go back and share their knowledge with marching band programs.

But with less corps, less kids would go back and share. That's less effective.

[danielray]

Madison, Crossmen and Surf. 2 of whichyour plan eliminates

What are you talking about?

It is like you don't read a thing I write, and roll with this idea that I believe there should be only 8 corps.

Where have I ever mentioned eliminating corps outside of the top 8?